News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Feb. 1, 2021: It’s a New Year, and many of us are vowing to get fit and healthy in preparation for the fast-approaching summer months and possibly, a vacation to the Caribbean.
With the many beaches the Caribbean has to offer and its tropical climate, it is still a popular vacation destination for many types of people despite the pandemic. Families, couples, and groups of friends can still visit the Caribbean and have one of the best times of their lives following current COVID-19 restrictions on travel.
But before we walk onto a tropical, Caribbean beach, we want to get beach body ready. After all, there’s nothing more satisfying than putting on a bathing suit and feeling confident in how we look and not having to feel insecure.
Having lean muscles, a glowing complexion and toned arms and legs is a dream for many, but the road to attaining a beach body is difficult and time-consuming. Here’s how you can get beach ready for your next trip to the Caribbean.
Eat Healthy
You can work out religiously, but if you fail to eat the right foods and consume the nutrients needed to fuel your body, you will struggle to make progress on your beach body. Here are the best eating and meal prep tips to aid you on your journey to being beach ready.
Meal Prep
Prepping your meals beforehand makes it easier for you to stick to an eating schedule, and to know what foods and nutrients you are consuming. It is all too easy to get home from a long day’s work and want to cook something easy or order takeout, but there is a risk of you cooking or ordering food that is high in saturates and sugars. Cut out the temptation by meal prepping.
Every Saturday you should research the best low-calorie and protein-enriched recipes, make a shopping list and buy the correct ingredients. Then, on the Sunday you should spend your morning or afternoon cooking up the various meals, portion them, put them into containers and freeze them to be reheated later on in the week.
Have Meals Delivered
Not everyone is a natural cook, and sometimes we either do not enjoy cooking, lack the skills, or do not have the time to prep our meals. If you are able to, you can always have your meals delivered already prepped and ready to be eaten or reheated. This method is different from ordering a takeout, as you are ordering prepped meals that are healthy and that provide our bodies with the correct nourishment needed to build muscle. To ensure you get the best precooked meal delivery service, research all the options available to you. Nowadays, chefs cater to all dietary requirements. Therefore, if you are gluten-free or lactose intolerant, there will be a food delivery service suitable for your needs.
Know Which Foods are Good and Bad for You
Understanding which foods are going to help and hinder your road to getting the best beach body is important. But first of all, the foods that you eat will be determined by your goals. For instance, do you want to lose weight and then build muscle, or do you only need to build muscle for a leaner body?
Best Foods to Help Build Lean Muscle
- Eggs
- Salmon
- Chicken
- Tuna
- Soybeans
- Shrimp
- Greek yogurt
- Beans
- Edamame
- Quinoa
- Scallops
For lean muscle build-up, you will want to focus on protein-rich foods as well as enough carbohydrates to help provide you energy to fuel your day and workout sessions. While many people will turn to chicken and fish as a means for protein, vegans and vegetarians also have plentiful options such as beans, soybeans, quinoa and protein shakes.
Best Foods to Help Lose Weight
- Beans
- Apples
- Greek yogurt
- Dark chocolate
- Leafy greens
- Vegetables
- Boiled potatoes
Losing weight can be exceptionally difficult; however, the key element of weight loss is to burn off more calories than you ingest. You should also cut out junk food or foods with high sugars and saturated fats and focus on loading up your plate with leafy greens, beans and vegetables as these foods are filling and low in fat.
Have An Exercise Regime
Everyone should exercise for at least 30-minutes a day. You can go for a brisk walk or head to the gym for an intense HIIT session. However, many of us fail to remain consistent or know the best way to get a trim waist and toned arms. If you don’t know where to start, follow these tips:
Create a Consistent Workout Routine
Consistency is key. You will want to create a workout schedule that focuses on the main areas of your body you wish to improve on, but also have a schedule that is attainable. If you are busy working an intense job, don’t plan on heading to the gym every morning. You are likely to burn out, and once one workout session is missed, you are more likely to miss another, and another. Instead, you should include balance and schedule in rest days.
Start HIIT Training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the practice of alternating between short sessions of high-intensity exercise with short sessions of recovery time. For instance, you may sprint for a minute and then walk for a minute on a treadmill. It was discovered by a group of University of Western Ontario researchers that people burned more fat when doing 4 to 6 30-second sprints than painfully walking for 60 minutes on an intense treadmill incline.
Pick up the Weights
Strength training is essential if you wish to build muscle. Using medicine balls for your core and dumbbells for arm exercises is a great way to get leaner, but you have to be consistent when building muscle and feed your muscles with a proper protein-rich diet if you are to see results.
The Caribbean is a beautiful region filled with beaches and warm, sunny weather. Make sure you feel confident on the beach and get yourself beach ready. Eat well and healthy, but be sure to exercise regularly. The combination of a good diet and attainable workout plan is needed if you wish to be fit and healthy for your impending vacation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Katya Smith is a copywriter/content writer who specializes in nutrition. A visionary globe trotter and self-proclaimed goat-loving-yogi, she currently resides in Israel.
